Athletes and Coaches

Asthma and Athletics
insert document here

“PROVIDING A SAFE ENVIRONMENT”
Every effort must be made to reduce the likelihood of an asthma emergency and to ensure prompt emergency treatment, if necessary. This is a shared responsibility between the student, parent, athletic staff, school health personnel, and the student’s health care provider.
Athletic staff need to:
• Know of students who have breathing difficulties.
• Always respect the student’s report concerning trouble breathing.
• Request a copy of the student’s Asthma Action Plan or Emergency Care Plan from the school nurse, student, parent or health care provider.
• Encourage students to take their prescribed medication(s) per health care provider orders/action plan.
• Promptly communicate any concerns to the parent and school nurse that a student’s asthma is limiting his/her ability to participate fully in physical activities.
• Follow emergency procedures if a student develops an asthma episode. A severe asthma episode is a medical emergency and can be fatal if not treated
Students with asthma should:
• Take responsibility for their health and safety by knowing asthma symptoms and taking asthma medicines as ordered.
• Recognize signs that medicine/inhaler is not working and seek adult assistance immediately.
• Carry or have available appropriate reliever/rescue medication at all times and recognize when the inhaler is near empty or empty.
• Take prescribed reliever/rescue inhaler as soon as symptoms develop and only resume physical activity when symptom free.
• Report any increase in asthma symptoms to the coach during practice/competition, and to the school nurse, parent, and health care provider afterwards.
Parents should:
• Maintain an adequate supply of controller and/or reliever/rescue inhaler(s) at all times.
• Follow school procedures for self-administration of medications.
• Notify the health care provider if asthma symptoms increase or reliever/rescue inhaler is used more than two times a week for asthma symptoms.
• Keep a spare reliever/rescue inhaler in the health office for emergency use.
• Communicate all relevant information regarding their child’s asthma to the school nurse, athletic director, coach, trainer or staff as the need arises.
Link to PDF
www.nysahperd.org